Beckham to PSG: The view from France

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To say David Beckham's move to French club Paris Saint-Germain has caused a little bit of a stir in France, would certainly be an understatement. With the story dominating most news channels and websites on Thursday The Local takes a look at the reaction.

Media firestorm

“Beckham at PSG…confirmed!”, said RMC Sport, while broadsheet Le Monde responded more soberly, declaring “Beckham signed by PSG (again)”, in reference to the fact Beckham was supposed to have signed for PSG this time last year, before he pulled the plug at the last minute.

Website 20 Minutes even poses the question "Can Beckham save the French league 1" noting that despite the superstar's arrival, five French international players left France this winter to ply their trade abroad.

French football responds

French sporting daily L’Equipe got straight to business, asking readers whether Beckham’s presence at PSG would be a boost to their chances of winning the French domestic league, Ligue 1. The verdict – 43% say yes, 57% say no.

Former national team manager Raymond Domenech stood out for his under-statement, when asked for his take by Eurosport. “I don’t know. I’m not up to date.” Domenech, French boss until a disastrous World Cup performance in 2010, was commentating on women’s tennis at the time.

By contrast, current coach of Les Bleus, Didier Deschamps, was slightly more forthcoming. “[Beckham] is a personality who goes beyond the framework of football, a bit like [PSG star striker] Zlatan Ibrahimovic. These are players who can give [French football] Ligue 1 greater visibility abroad. It’s a good thing for Ligue 1.”

Toulouse player Adil Hermach, who could come up against Beckham when his team plays PSG at the weekend was not that impressed.

"I am not going to go easy on him and I won't be asking how Victoria is," Hermach told 20 Minutes.

Social networks explode

This afternoon, Beckham published a photo of himself on his Facebook page, sitting on a plane to the French capital. Within two hours it had these staggering stats attached to it:

Two tweets that perfectly capture the two different strands of online opinion on the move: